Teachers' Problem-Solving about Children with Moderate and Severe Disabilities in Elementary Classrooms

Abstract

This ethnographic study investigated the ways general and special education teachers and school staff worked to identify and solve their concerns about children with disabilities in their classrooms. Educators collaborated to resolve concerns by following problem-solving steps somewhat similar to traditional approaches. Teachers used this process (a) primarily during the school day whenever they had a free moment; (b) in pairs, small groups, or alone; and (c) repeated it until feasible solutions were determined. The demands of these teachers' jobs seemed to require that solutions be refined through repeated applications rather than developed optimally as a whole team before acting. These teachers' propensity for collaboration seemed motivated by their realization that cooperation was necessary to meet the educational needs of these children.